Of Fighting and Forgiveness
by Anakin T Skywalker
Summary: The title is fairly descriptive of the content. Anakin has been at the Temple for two and a half years and has to deal with an enemy among his peers.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars (Duh!)**

Any reviews will be read with joy and given my full attention!

I got the idea for the anagram names of original characters from the story "If I Don't Catch You" by Julie. Thanks, Julie! Also, this was influenced by a story I read but cannot recall the name or author of and am overwhelmed by the idea of trying to find, in which Obi-wan denies Anakin forgiveness for something. So, thanks to whoever it was, and I'm sorry I can't remember to give you proper credit!

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"Anakin, what does the code say about a Jedi's actions?"

The boy sighed and stared at the floor as he began to recite, "A Jedi does not act out of fear, anger, hatred, or aggression, but instead acts when calm and at peace with the Force."

"So, tell me, Anakin. Were you calm and at peace with the Force when you decided to fight Suolaej?"

"I didn't 'decide' to fight him, it just sort of happened. He kept saying he could take me down anytime he wanted, and I just got sick of it and…"

"Were you calm and at peace with the Force?"

"I didn't really stop and think about it," Anakin replied evasively.

"Were you calm and at peace with the Force?"

Anakin finally bowed his head in complete submission. "No," he said in a small voice.

"Do you know how you failed?"

Anakin was silent.

"You acted out of aggression and an over-inflated ego. You wanted to prove that you were better than him by besting him with physical force. This is not the Jedi way."

Anakin was silent for a few moments. Then: "I know," he whispered.

More silence. Obi-wan stared at his Padawan sternly.

"I'm sorry, Master," he finally said, with true contrition.

Obi-wan sighed. "I accept your apology," he said coolly. "But there is someone else who needs an apology from you."

Anakin's face contorted with dismay. "Oh, no. Please don't make me apologize to Suolaej! He'll rub it in my face, and tell every Padawan in the temple, and I'll never live it down!

"You will apologize both to Suolaej and to his master," insisted Obi-wan severely.

"But"—

"It doesn't matter what you think he will do; you wronged him, and he will therefore get an apology from you! I highly doubt he would be so un-Jedi-like as to do what you say he will, but if he does, perhaps you will remember this when you are next tempted to fight. Now, then, are you ready to go right now, or would you like ten minutes to prepare yourself and think over what you are going to say?"

Anakin sighed, his shoulders slumped. "I'm ready now," he said sullenly, earning himself a warning look from Obi-wan.

_Might as well get it over with,_ he thought to himself. Anakin liked to get unpleasant things, particularly punishments and apologies, out of the way as soon as possible. Obi-wan just didn't understand what it was to be almost twelve years old and have to humble yourself before another boy of your own age. Especially if you were supposed to be the "Chosen One." Especially when the other boy was one like Suolaej Dednahrednu.

Suolaej, who was a few months older than Anakin, loved to embarrass people, particularly said "Chosen One." Looking back on the incident, Anakin realized that Suolaej had probably been baiting him all along. He was frustrated that he had fallen for the other boy's tricks.

In all too short a time, they reached Suolaej's quarters. They were greeted by Suolaej's Master, Blivious Mellwean. She was nice enough, but her Padawan's faults seemed to completely escape her. Now her face clouded as she saw Anakin and Obi-wan.

"Oh," she said. "Come right in."

Anakin and Obi-wan followed her uncomfortably into the sitting room between her bedroom and Suolaej's. Suolaej himself sat on one part of the small sofa; when he saw Anakin and Obi-wan, he grinned for an instant, then quickly allowed his sober, emotionless expression to settle back over his features, so only Anakin saw.

"Please, take a seat," she said, sitting down herself. Obi-wan took a chair beside her, but Anakin remained standing.

"So, what can I do for you today?" she said pleasantly, though she obviously knew exactly what was going on.

"Anakin has something he would like to tell you," said Obi-wan, with a meaningful look at Anakin.

He stood awkwardly for a moment or two. Blivious looked expectantly at him. He launched into his apology.

"I want to… I came to… I apologize for…" he could feel Suolaej's smirk from across the room, "beating up your Padawan," he said ineloquently.

"Oh, I forgive you," she said, almost smiling, "but I'm not really the one who needs your apology. You didn't do me any real damage."

Anakin stood uncertainly for a minute, hesitating. He _really_ didn't want to apologize to Suolaej.

"Go on, Anakin," said Obi-wan, his voice carrying a warning edge.

Anakin shuffled over to the sofa where Suolaej sat smugly, gloating over Anakin's discomfort and embarrassment, not showing a trace of the nosebleed which was the only noticeable injury Anakin had inflicted upon him.

Anakin took a deep breath and began. "I'm sorry for beating you up and hurting your nose, I hope it doesn't hurt too much, I shouldn't have done it 'cause it's not very Jedi and I'll try not to do it again," he blurted out in one breath.

Suolaej smiled mockingly at him. "Apology accepted," he said, with just enough of a tone in his voice to make it a taunt.

Anakin battled to keep his facial expression neutral as he turned and walked back to Obi-wan's side as quickly as he could. He stood by his Master, feeling embarrassed and shy as the two Masters talked.

Fortunately, Obi-wan soon stood up to leave.

"Well, thank you for your time," he said to Blivious, "but Anakin and I have a bit more to do today." He led Anakin from the room and into the hall.

As they walked back to their own set of ruins, Obi-wan announced to Anakin, "I have decided what your punishment will be. Since I cannot trust you to respond correctly to your anger on your own, I must be with you as much as possible. Therefore, for the next week, I will be accompanying you everywhere you go. You are not to go anywhere without my permission, which will only be granted if I can be by your side. Perhaps with me there, you will be more likely to pursue a diplomatic solution to any problems that might arise."

Anakin groaned inwardly. Obi-wan was going to follow him everywhere? The younglings and Padawans of the Temple wouldn't even need Suolaej to tell them about Anakin's misbehavior; they'd have it figured out all by themselves. He was doomed.

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Contrary to his expectations, Anakin survived his week of probation. He was sure some people noticed, but very few said anything about it; the worst comment he heard was 'Hey Anakin! What'd you do this time?' Even Suolaej didn't try to irritate him, though Anakin was sure that was only because Obi-wan was around. There were really only two things that bothered him.

One was that Suolaej didn't seem to be getting any punishment, even though he had deliberately angered Anakin in the first place. It just wasn't fair! Anakin hadn't been out to get him, he'd just reacted on instincts quicker that thought! It was just unfortunate that his instincts were wrong.

The other was the fact that Obi-wan had been treating Anakin rather coldly and distantly ever since the fight. Anakin knew he was not yet forgiven, and it hurt somehow. It was especially difficult when he was forced to spend all of his time with someone who was displeased with him. He rejoiced when the week was up and he could spend time alone again.

Then, of course, Suolaej got nasty again. Every time he saw Anakin alone (which was often, because their quarters were just down the hall from each other), he had a barb to throw at him, but Anakin remembered last time and managed to quell his irritation and keep from responding in any way at all.

That is, until Suolaej found out about Anakin's background as a slave.

"So, I heard you were a slave before you came here," said Suolaej, a nasty grin plastered across his face. "How did you end up here? The Jedi don't usually look among _slaves_ for Force-sensitives."

Anakin stopped, which was a very unwise thing to do, but his anger seemed to cause his legs to stiffen, and he felt rooted to the spot.

"So, I've always wondered," continued Suolaej sarcastically, "what's it like to be a piece of property."

The truth of the statement angered Anakin even further, and before he knew what he was doing, he had tackled the older boy and was sitting on top of him, punching him, smacking him in the face, shaking him roughly. Suolaej cried out, but Anakin didn't stop.

"Don't you ever say anything like that again!" he roared, finally stopping his attack and rolling to the floor. Suolaej whimpered pitifully, and Anakin looked up to see Obi-wan standing at the end of the hallway, hands on his hips, perfectly still. His face was as hard as durasteel. He raised his comlink, and keyed in a number.

Shortly afterward, Blivious appeared in the hallway and began tending to her Padawan's blackened eye and other bruises. Then Obi-wan finally walked a few brisk steps toward Anakin.

"Anakin. Come with me. Now," he said, in clipped, brusque tones. Anakin followed him back to their quarters. Once they were safely inside, with the door locked, the lecture would begin.

Obi-wan paced the room silently for a few minutes. Finally, he spoke.

"It has been two days, Anakin! Two days since you were released from probation, and already you have repeated your offense! I thought you had learned your lesson, but apparently that is not the case. You will apologize again to both Suolaej and Knight Mellwean, and you may consider yourself on probation for another full month. You are not to leave this room unless I am with you. And if I ever find you fighting again, there will be severe consequences. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Master," Anakin said, hanging his head in shame. _How could I have failed so miserably again, and so soon?_ he thought. _I know Suolaej's game, but I played it anyway. How could I have been so stupid?_

His heart was heavy as Obi-wan took him to apologize again. Knight Mellwean was obviously not pleased to see them, and while she accepted Anakin's apology, she did not extend an offer of forgiveness.

When he apologized to Suolaej, who still managed to look smug while holding an ice pack over his eye, the boy whispered, "Next time, Skywalker, I will fight back. I will enjoy it. You will not. Next time!"

Anakin turned away in disdain, trying to hide his true emotions. He was sure their Masters had not heard the threat, and it angered him deeply to know that Suolaej was going to get off clean once again. Fortunately, Obi-wan had no inclination to stay and chat, and quickly marched Anakin out of there and back to their quarters.

"I am going to the Council to report this problem," said Obi-wan coldly. "You will remain alone in your room for the rest of the night. You may work on your studies – nothing else. And I recommend retiring early; we will most likely be going before the Council early tomorrow."

Anakin couldn't stand the tension between him and Obi-wan, but he didn't know what to do to resolve it.

"Master," he said with the intention of asking for forgiveness, but Obi-wan's gruff "Yes!" shut him down, and he simply whispered, "Never mind." The rift between them tore further open.

Anakin went to bed early, as Obi-wan had suggested, but he couldn't sleep. He had been lying awake, trying to find a comfortable position and pondering what had happened for an hour when Obi-wan returned. Anakin decided to try again to heal the broken connection between them and ask again for forgiveness and padded out into the sitting room in his bare feet.

Upon catching sight of him, Obi-wan exclaimed with displeasure, "Are you still up?" even though it wasn't very late.

Anakin took a step back. "I _was_ in bed, but I couldn't sleep, and I"—he broke off, unable to continue. "I'm sorry," he said.

Obi-wan simply nodded. "Go back to bed, Anakin," he said sternly.

Then something occurred to Anakin. "Uh, Master?" he asked tentatively.

"What?" Obi-wan asked sharply.

"Umm, I, uhhh, need to go to the refresher."

Obi-wan's face softened a little. "Have you been lying awake because of that?"

"No, I just thought of it now."

"Well, that I'm glad of. I will be careful in the future not to leave you for too long, but I really don't want you to leave this room without me. It is too likely that you will meet someone, become angry, and end up fighting injuring him."

His sternness returned, and he didn't say one word as he walked Anakin to the refresher and back. Anakin crawled into bed in silence; but as he lay there in the darkness, the pain of Obi-wan's unforgiveness overwhelmed him, and tears of hurt began to escape his eyelids and slowly dampen his pillow.

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Obi-wan shook Anakin roughly early the next morning. "Wake up! We have an appointment with the Council."

Anakin dreaded it; he knew from his experiences with other misbehavior that he would be grilled about the incident, lectured by each Master in turn, and then threatened with expulsion if it happened again.

It was just as bad as he thought it would be; worse, actually, than any other time he'd experienced, because this time, Obi-wan did not defend him. He simply stood there, seeming completely indifferent to Anakin and whatever the Council might command for him. Anakin was glad when at last the interrogation was over and he had received all of the proper threats, and Obi-wan finally marched him back to his room to study for his classes.

After that, the first several days of Anakin's probation went fairly smoothly. He was accompanied by Obi-wan to all of his classes and meals, and Obi-wan left him alone only for short periods of time. He wouldn't even have been lonely if Obi-wan hadn't been so distant and stern. Over their bond, Anakin sensed Obi-wan constantly examining him, as if he were a problem to be solved. Anakin began to wonder if Obi-wan even wanted to train him anymore. Maybe he would step down from his position as Anakin's Master and leave him to whatever fate the Council chose for him. Maybe Obi-wan would take on another Padawan in his place, someone who had been in the Temple his whole life and had better reign over his emotions and reactions. The thought hurt him deeply and brought tears to his eyes more than once, but he struggled to hide it and not shame himself or his Master further.

Thus, to all outward appearances, Anakin was fine until the fourth day. Obi-wan was to be gone the entire afternoon, and several hours before he was supposed to return, Anakin realized that he needed to use the refresher. He knew he wouldn't last another two hours, so his only option was to sneak out of the room and hope he didn't meet anyone.

He made it safely there without incident, but on the way back, he wasn't so lucky. Halfway back to his room, Suolaej seemingly appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of his path.

"Why, Anakin," he said, tauntingly, "Aren't you supposed to be locked up in your room?"

Anakin ignored him and tried to keep walking, but Suolaej deliberately blocked his path.

"I've been doing some research on you," he continued. "I found out that, before you were freed, you lived with your mother, who was also a slave. Tell me, Anakin, was you mother freed, too?"

Anakin shut his eyes and shook his head, the pain of leaving her reverberating through his brain.

"Well! A fine son you are! Allowing the Jedi to free you and leaving her alone there, a slave on Tatooine! I should think you'd be ashamed of yourself! I should think she'd be ashamed of you!"

Once again, Suolaej's words struck a little too close to home, and Anakin flew into a rage. He hurtled through the air toward the other boy, taking him down with a single motion. This time, as he had promised, Suolaej fought back, and they tussled on the floor together. They were nearly equally matched, trading blow for blow; Anakin blackened Suolaej's other eye, but Suolaej rolled Anakin over so that his head struck a pointed part of someone's doorjamb, causing a cut that bled quite a bit.

It was a very close match; however, Anakin's anger gave him just enough impetus to win the fight by hitting Suolaej's other eye, which was still bruised from their last fight. He had grabbed Suolaej by the shoulders and was slamming his head into the floor when Suolaej desperately cried out, "I give, I give! Solah!"

The use of the Jedi velocities term brought Anakin to a halt. Like a thunderclap, he realized that he had just done it again. He moaned when he looked at Suolaej. He looked really beat up this time. No smirk, no smug expression. Anakin felt sure that he would be expelled for this one. And what would his mother think of him? She had always hated it when he got into fights. And Qui-gon? And despite Obi-wan's recent coldness, he knew his Master would be disappointed in him as well.

Suddenly, all the anger was drained out of him, and he was left only with fear, sadness, and remorse.

He carefully bent over Suolaej. "Are you okay?" he asked fearfully.

For a terrible moment, there was silence. Then the other boy answered faintly, "I think so. It hurts, but I don't think you did any permanent damage."

"I – I'm sorry…" said Anakin, feeling terrible. "I didn't mean to… you know, do that again. I just got so mad, it was like I didn't know what I was doing."

Anakin shut hi eyes and braced himself for a stinging remark, but instead, Suolaej sighed. "It's okay, I deserved it."

Anakin opened his eyes wide in astonishment.

"All along, I've been baiting you," continued the other boy.

Anakin nodded. "I know. All along I told myself not to fall for it. I did anyway."

Suolaej went on. "I looked for things to say that I knew would bother you. Once I discovered your weaknesses, I did everything I could to make you get yourself in trouble."

"Why?" asked Anakin, his voice trembling. He struggled to keep back the tears, wondering what he had ever done to make this boy hate him so much.

Suolaej took a deep breath and shut his eyes. "Ever since you came here, I've been jealous of you. I mean, you came in here, supposedly the 'Chosen One', with the greatest Force connection any of us has ever seen. You got all the attention; everyone envied your Master for getting to train you. You caught up to the rest of us so easily; in a year and a half you learned what the rest of us have spent our whole lives learning. Teachers put up with stuff from you that they never would have taken from the rest of us. Stars, you didn't even have to wait and wonder if you were going to be chosen by a Master! You came here with all of that set up for you already, while the rest of us wondered if we'd ever be chosen or if we'd be sent off to AgriCorps! Can you see how I felt?" Suolaej's voice had risen slightly again.

Anakin was astonished. Suolaej was _jealous_ of him? "I had no idea," he said. "Really, though, it's not like it seems. Everyone has extra expectations for me, and it's hard to live up to them sometimes. And Obi-wan took me on because his Master, Qui-gon, made him promise to. I'm not at all sure he would have chosen me on his own. A lot of days, I'm sure he wouldn't have. And it wasn't exactly easy for me to come in and start learning things kids half my age already knew. And I do miss my mom – a lot. It kills me that I had to leave her. That's why it made me so mad when…" he stopped, his voice breaking.

"I had no idea," Suolaej said, quoting Anakin. "I'm sorry I said… what I said. I didn't really mean it; at the time, I just wanted to make you mad so you would get in trouble."

Anakin looked at him ruefully. "Well, you succeeded at that. I'm probably going to be kicked out for this. The Council threatened as much when Obi-wan brought me before them."

"Oh, no! I _really_ didn't mean for that to happen – even when I actually _wanted_ to get you in trouble!"

"You mean you don't anymore?"

Suolaej shook his head. "I have to admit, I still envy your abilities and the attention you get. But what I did to you was still wrong, and I'm sorry. And after what you just told me, I don't feel like disliking you anymore. I think, if you can forgive me, I'd rather we were friends?"

Anakin was again stunned. Suolaej wanted to be his _friend?_ The beginnings of a smile worked its way onto his face. "Okay, but only if you forgive me for trying to use you as a punching bag."

Suolaej smiled faintly, too. "It's a deal. Now, if only I could keep you from getting in trouble…" he said, his face clouding again. "We could just not say anything about it and hope our Masters don't notice. I mean, I already had this black eye from before, and I can wash the blood from my nose off my face. And these other little cuts and bruises should be easy enough to hide."

Anakin shook his head glumly. "They'll notice. I got your other eye, too, and it shows."

Suolaej looked Anakin over. "Yeah, and you wouldn't be able to pass muster, either. That gash on you head looks pretty bad, and your lip is bleeding down your chin. You could wash the blood away, but I bet it swells up a lot."

Anakin hadn't even noticed his split lip until Suolaej mentioned it, and he had forgotten about his head. Now, it suddenly began to throb painfully; it made him just slightly dizzy. He breathed deeply to clear his head, then stood and offered a hand to his new 'friend.' "Come on, I'll walk you to the refresher, and I'll raid our emergency medkit. There's nothing we can do about our Masters, but I can still patch you up. You'll feel better, anyway."

Soulaej took Anakin's hand and pulled himself shakily and painfully to his feet. "You were the one who beat me up in the first place, and now you want me to feel better?"

Anakin smiled slightly again. "It's what friends do."

Together, they shuffled down the hall to the refresher. Then Anakin went back to his room for the medkit. He applied bacta to Suolaej's cuts, and placed the chemical cold packs he found over his friends eyes. Then he wet some disposable towels from the dispenser in the refresher and washed away the dried blood from Suolaej's nose, which fortunately had stopped bleeding by itself.

"I'd better help you to your room," he said. "You won't be able to see with those cold packs over your eyes." Anakin gathered the leftover supplies back into the medkit, then walked Suolaej back to his room.

"See you later and hope you feel better," said Anakin as he prepared to return to his room.

"See you later, and hope your Master isn't too mad!"

Anakin cringed at the sudden recollection that he was not even supposed to be outside his room.

Suolaej saw his expression. "Don't worry," he said kindly, "I'm going to explain my part in it to my Master. Whatever happens to you will have to happen to me too, if not worse because I was the instigator."

"Thanks, that's very comforting," said Anakin, sarcastically but not unkindly. "Well, goodbye, friend. Oh, and about other Masters envying Obi-wan for being the one to train me – They don't envy him any more."

He walked back down the hall to his own room. His head was really throbbing now, and his dizziness was getting worse. He wondered briefly if he should consider going to see the Healers, but decided it would be better if he could just lie down with a cold pack on it for a while. Then he remembered that he'd given both of the cold packs to Suolaej. _Oh, well. I just hope Obi-wan isn't back yet. He's going to kill me… _

He thought of the likelihood that he would be expelled, and pictured himself leaving the Temple and all that he had known for the past two and a half years. He would miss it, he realized. His training, the building itself… and Obi-wan. He felt himself about to cry again, but he made it safely back to the sitting room, which, fortunately, was still empty, before he broke down and let the tears come. He did not make any sound, just let the tears pour down his face as he sat on a chair, gasping in that peculiar way of breathing that comes with a good cry.

When his tears had subsided and he was somewhat calm once more, he found that his head hurt worse that ever. He really needed to lie down. He stood, but the room spun around him, making it difficult to walk. One step at a time, he struggled his way into his bedroom and essentially passed out on his bed, exhausted.

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Anakin woke up to the sound of the door to the sitting room falling noisily shut. Obi-wan was back. He did not feel capable of motion, however, and he truly dreaded having Obi-wan find out about his latest fight, so he just lay there on his bed, waiting for his Master to discover him.

It was several minutes before Obi-wan came in. When he did, Anakin half hoped his master would think he was sleeping, but Obi-wan wasn't fooled.

"Anakin, sit up. I know you're awake." Anakin obeyed, though it caused his head to throb and spin.

"What has happened?" Obi-wan demanded to know. Anakin didn't say anything, he was too busy trying to collect his thoughts.

Obi-wan looked straight into Anakin's eyes. "Anakin. Have you, by any chance, been out of this room alone, in defiance of my orders?"

Anakin passed a moment. A hastily, wildly fabricated lie wove itself in his mind. _Oh, no, Master. I would never defy your orders. I was right here the entire time. I tripped over one of my droids and hit my head on the end table and bit my lip. Guess I do have too many droids around, cluttering things up._

The lie never made it to Anakin's lips. He never lied to anyone, especially not to his Master. Instead, he simply nodded, an action which he immediately regretted because it made his head throb worse. "Yes, Master. I have. I needed to use the refresher."

Obi-wan's tone grew less harsh. "That is permissible. But how do you intend to explain the cuts that are on your head and lip?"

Anakin took a deep breath. "On the way back, I met Suolaej. He taunted me, said things about me leaving my mother – said she should be ashamed of me for leaving her behind. I…" The tears returned at the thought of the hurtful words. "I flew into a rage… and we fought," continued Anakin, after regaining his composure. "I'm sorry, Master. I know it was wrong." He bowed his head, ashamed of himself before Obi-wan.

Obi-wan's reply was simply a crisp, "Oh. I see." He strode out of their quarters, and Anakin worried that he had simply walked out and left Anakin. He returned soon, however, with a freshly replenished medkit and began to tend Anakin's wounds. He washed the blood from Anakin's face with a cool, wet cloth. Then applied bacta to the cuts. He made Anakin lie back down and put another ice pack on his head to slow the swelling and ease the pain, and provided ice for Anakin's lip, which had swollen up nearly three times its normal size. Obi-wan was gentle, and by the time he was finished, Anakin felt much better.

Then Obi-wan looked him straight in the eyes again. In a kinder tone than he had used in weeks, he told Anakin, "I very much appreciate your honesty with me. It would have done you no good to tell me the lie that you were thinking of, for as you can see, I would have instantly known that you had lied to me. I know exactly what happened, you see, because I was there, hidden, watching the whole thing."

Anakin's jaw dropped in shock.

"I was coming back earlier than I had expected, when I saw you leaving your room, so I hid myself to see what would develop. I think it was the will of the Force that I returned at that time to see what transpired. I saw your valiant efforts not to let Suolaej get under your skin, and I heard the terrible things he said to you that caused your anger. Though I do not condone your actions, I can't bring myself to blame you for them entirely; I might have done the same in your position. Anyway, I watched you two for some time, and was just getting ready to intervene before you really hurts yourselves, when you stopped. I saw all that happened afterwards, and I want you to know that I am proud of the way you handled yourself after the fight had ceased. I am glad that you and Suolaej have made up and have decided to be friends. Very shortly after you returned to your room, I received a call from Knight Mellwean, saying Suolaej had something to tell me. I went to her quarters, and Suolaej confessed his part in the fight to me. I know it all know, and forgive you for your actions before and today. Also, I apologize ask for your forgiveness for not extending mine to you; I initially thought it best to punish you a bit by withholding my forgiveness, but I can see that this was wrong and has bothered you and hurt you deeply these past few weeks. I am sorry; will you forgive me?"

Anakin nodded, his eyes brimming. It was so weird to have his Master apologizing to him! He changed the subject to a more practical one. "But what will the Council say? Or do?"

Obi-wan smiled warmly. "The situation is resolved, isn't it?"

Anakin nodded again.

"Well, then I see no reason to report this to the Council. They cannot help us with it since we no longer need help, so why waste their time with it?"

Anakin looked up at Obi-wan in amazement. "We're not going to tell them?"

Obi-wan smiled and drew Anakin close. "No, we're not. Unless, of course, you want to…" he teased.

Anakin threw his arms around Obi-wan, and they embraced. It was good to have their bond restored. Anakin thought he was too big to be held like a child, but this time he welcomed the sense of security and warmth he felt emanating from Obi-wan, not unlike that which children sense from their fathers.

"And now, Anakin, I think you should rest some more. That was quite a blow your head took, and I'm sure you must be exhausted from your… exercise," Obi-wan said with a smile. He laid Anakin back down on his bed and covered him with a blanket, then left the room.

And Anakin let sleep come and carry him away, a happier boy than he'd been in a long time.


End file.
